Those who are interested to pursue business studies are required to appear for GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). GMAT online exam is a kind of standardized test developed for admissions to various graduate business programs conducted globally. It is a highly competitive multiple-choice, computer-based exam for which thousands of students prepare every year.
The GMAT has been developed and administered by test maker GMAC to suffice common measures to ensure the preparedness of the candidate for graduate-level academic work. Top business schools consider GMAT scores together with your academic record, work experience, and other supporting materials to know your keenness to pursue an MBA program.
Almost all the MBA aspirants around the world take GMAT online exam to get admission to the best B- School. The exam is of three and a half hours duration and has a maximum score of 800 points. The syllabus for the exam is divided into four main sections. Around 50 topics are covered under these four sections making it highly competitive.
Some of the key topics include grammar such as reading comprehension, critical reasoning, sentence correction, and more. While in the quant section data sufficiency and problem-solving are mostly asked.
• Integrated Reasoning
• Analytical Writing
• Verbal Reasoning Section
• Quantitative Aptitude Section
The exam in total has 91 questions from various sections and is a computer adaptive test of 3 hours and 30 minutes duration. Both subjective and objective questions are asked in the paper.
Integrated Reasoning
Integrated Reasoning is the latest addition to the GMAT online exam and this section has been essentially designed to test the applicant’s ability to evaluate various kinds of data that are provided in the form of graphs and tables. This section consists of 12 questions in total.
Two-Part Analysis:
This section is a little complex and consists of complex problems. It has a wide range of questions that can be in the form of verbal, quantitative, or both. Applicants are required to solve various equations and find the relationship between the entities measured.
Table Analysis
This section has various tables and data that are provided in the form of a spreadsheet and students are asked to sort and analyze the table and find the important information depending on the questions asked.
Multi-Source Reasoning
It is yet another data interpretation question where information is collected from various sources like tables, graphics, text passages, or a combination of all the three. The information needs to be analyzed very carefully as questions are asked based on these.
Graphics Interpretation
Here, students are required to interpret the information that is provided in the form of graphs and graphical images. Students are asked to draw inferences from the information provided.
Analytical Writing Section
As the name suggests, it is the writing section of the paper where students have to write on the topic given. Sometimes passages are also given from which questions are asked. The passage can be from any topic. The main focus is here to see the style of writing of the students and not the arguments presented.
• Argument essay
This is the section where the applicant will be judged on how well the argument has been reasoned and presented.
• Issue essay
Here the candidate has to write an essay of around 600 words on the issue provided; students are required to put forward their opinion in a structured manner.
Quantitative Aptitude Section
This section comprises of two parts namely-
• Data sufficiency
• Problem Solving
There are 18 questions in the data sufficiency section and problem-solving section. All the questions asked are objective and have multiple choice answers.
The questions are asked from the following syllabus-
• Problem Solving
Quantitative problems are solved using logic and analytical reasoning.
• Data Sufficiency
Data-related questions are asked where the student has to identify if the data available is sufficient or not.
Topics are further divided into-
• Geometry
• Elementary Algebra
• Arithmetic
• Ratio Proportions
• Properties of Integers
• Permutation and combinations
• Exponents and roots
• Linear equations
GMAT Verbal Reasoning
This section consists of 36 multiple-choice questions. It is divided into critical reasoning, reading comprehension, sentence correction. This section is designed to test the written material, read and understand the logical relationship mentioned in the passage.
Essential requirements for GMAT Exam
• Find the test center near you
• Build the timeline
• Add extra time while registering through mail or by personal check
• Pay for the exam
• One can easily pay through a credit card or debit card
• Review the application and check on the confirmation that all the details are correct and match completely.
• The fee for GMAT is around $250 (INR 18, 300 approx).
Eligibility Criteria
There are no eligibility criteria to appear in the exam as such, however different universities and colleges have various essential conditions that need to be fulfilled. The candidate must have completed 18 years of age. Candidates who want to enroll in the MBA program must have a graduate degree in any discipline from a recognized university. The GMAT score is valid for 5 years.
To secure a good score in the GMAT exam certain tips can be followed-
• Find good GMAT books and resources
• Join now a good coaching institute
• Register on a reputed online portal for assistance
• One can also give regular mock tests
GMAT aspirants can apply to more than 7000 programs and around 300 business schools around the world. Top business schools like Harvard, INSEAD, and Stanford accept GMAT scores above 720. GMAT score is accepted in more than 114 countries.
It is recommended to register two or three months before your preferred test date. You can use the registration and score reporting timeline in the GMAT handbook to assist you. Besides, you can also seek help from an online portal like CollegeDekho which is well known to provide all the assistance and help in the admission process as well. To know more details about the exam and other information it is suggested to join now on the portal.